Israel continues to hamper delivery of life-saving aid to Gaza: UN

By Merve Aydogan

HAMILTON, Canada (AA) - The UN said on Monday Israeli authorities continue to obstruct planned aid movements into Gaza.

"A new OCHA (Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) report on access constraints in Gaza said restrictions and denials of planned aid movements by Israeli authorities continue to hamper the delivery of life-saving assistance," UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said at a news conference.

He said that "more than half of UN-coordinated food missions to high-risk areas requiring coordination with Israeli authorities were either denied or impeded" during March.

Dujarric also told that OCHA and the World Health Organization (WHO) teams have reached the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza, which was targeted by the Israeli military.

"Our colleagues at OCHA reported that the hospital has been destroyed and deserted. The World Health Organization said shallow graves had been dug just outside the emergency department and other buildings," he said.

Noting that there is only one primary road designated for humanitarian workers to access between the northern and southern areas of Gaza, Dujarric said the road along Gaza's eastern border has so far been used in a limited manner.

"Despite these restrictions, we and our partners continue to deliver humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza wherever and whenever we can. Last week, 17 health partners provided primary and secondary health services to almost a quarter of a million people," he added.

Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack early last October by the Palestinian group Hamas which killed around 1,200 people.

More than 33,200 Palestinians have since been killed and almost 76,000 injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

Israel has also imposed a crippling blockade on the Gaza Strip, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which recently asked it to do more to prevent famine in Gaza.